Apparatus for mechanically loading ordnance.



No. 646,369. Patented Mar. 27, I900.

J. KRONE. APPARATUS FOR HEGHANIGALLY LOADING ORDNANCE.

(Application filsd Jam 3, 1900.)

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m t m u M W w I q n oETAT Fnrnnrr @rrica ionnnrns KRONE, or ESSEN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR "r rhino. Knurrj.

' a or SAME PLACE.

nrranerns roa-wieprmnlcnuv LGADING on onnnc's.

smonsrcn'rron forming; part of fitters Pateniihlo. 646,369, dated lvlarch 27, 1900. Application filed Jammy 3', 1 900. sir-min; 210. on man.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be in known that I, JOHANNES KRONE, engineer, a citizen of the German Empire, residin get seen nin-rclzstrasse, Essenon-the-Ruhr, Germany, haveinvented certain newa'nd useful Improvements in Apparatus for-Mechanically Loading Urdnance, of which the followins; is specification.

The presentinvsntion has reference to ordhence to which the ammunition is raised by an elevator and pushed into the barrel by a conveyer.

The objects of this invention are to automatically adjust the convey/er to the loadinglineandto correspondingly limit the motion of the ammunition-tray. These objects are accomplished by a positive transmission of the turning motion of he cradle, respectively of the gun-barrel, noaswingingarmpivoted to the carriage, from which arm the motion 01' the conveyor and of an adjustable cam limiting the motion of the ammunition-tray is derived;

The nature of invention will best be understood when described in connection with the accompanying drawings, illustrating an example for applying my invention to aguncarriage in which ihc automatic adjustment of ihe ccnveyer and of the ammunition-tray is eifecied within certain limits of elevation of thejgnn.

' In the drawings, nigure l is a side elevatie'n the general arrangement, the gun being in a, horizontal position. eievaiion oi the transmitting device in a position corresponding to the extreme elevation of the gun for which the adjustment of the conveyer and of the ammunitionwray is antomatically regulated. Fig. 3 is a front view of the elevator-rod.

Similarlettcrs of reference designate corresponding parts through out the several views of ihe drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the letter Z) designates the cradle, which turns on trnnnions a in a usual manner. A swingle e is pivoted ice bracket d, fixed on lhe gun-carriage, and said svvingle is provided with a notch f, eugaged by'a tooth o, afiixed to the cradle. The duraiion of the engagement is msde'to corresp nd to the limits of elevation or depresarm forms a guide for said tooth.

Fig. 2 is a side sion of the gun within which the adjustment of the conveyor and of the ammunition-tray is to be automatically regulated. The arms forming part of the swingle e extend from opposits sides of the notch fund are curved in an arc of a circle having the axis of the trunnions a as a center, so that in the position shown in Fig. 1 the upper arm forms a guide for the tooth c, concentric with tho trunnions, a'ndin the positionshown in Fig. 2 the lower The arms insure the engagement of the tooth c with the nolchf.

g is an arm extending from the swinglc, upon which ismountcdga balance-weight w. This latter arm is connected by a rod 7b to an arm 1'', secured to a horizontal shaft 2', turning in a fixedbenring k, and to saidshaft are secured two arms i and i and also an arm provided with a balance-weight 10'.

To the frame of the conveyer m is pivoted a lever Z, having three arms Z, Z and Z of which the arm l is connected to the arm 1' of ihe shaft 2' by a rod h. The conveyor m is guided in ways 11 concentric to the trunnions a, and is connected to thearm Z of the lcverl by a connecting-rod o. The arm Z of the lever Z is connected by a rod 1) to a balanceweight guided in suitable ways in the conveyer-frame. The wci 'ht q is connected to the convcyer m by a rope passing over suitable pulleys, and thereby relieves pressure on the rods 0 and 1).

r is a lever secured to one end of a horizontal shaft s, turning in a fixed bearing, and it is connected to the arm i of shaft i by a rod 7L2. To the other end of the shafts is secured a corrugated cam 25, against which a stop o of the lifting-rod 'ztstrikes, said lifting-rod forming part of the ammunitionelevator and said step striking said cam during the upward mo.

tion of said lifting-rod. The weights of the rods and arms are balanced by the Weights w and in, previously described.

The operation of the mechanism is asfol- 5 lows: lVhen by well-knownmeans the gun is elevated 61' depressed and the tooth c i in engagement with the notch f, the swingle e is turned. As scenes the tooth 0 leaves the notch-f it glides n one of the arms of the swingle without causing further motion of the same. The-turning motion of the swingle is transmitted to the shaft 1'. by the arm g and the con necting-rod h, and from thence by the connecting rod h to the conveyor m, the connecting-rod h to the corrugated cam I. In view-of this movement, the conveyer m is automatically placed in the loading=line and the lift of the ammunition-elevator so limited that the amm'unition-trayj can only be raised to the height required by the elevation of the gun.

v\Vhat I claim as new is-' 1. In an apparatus for automatically adjusting the-ammunitiomtray and the conveyor of ordnance to the loading-line, the combination of a swingle secured to the carriage, intermediate mechanism to transfer the angular motion of the-cradle (respectively of the gunlto this swingle, and intermediate mechanism connected to't-he swingle for limiting the motion of the elevator and adjusting the conveyer, substantially as specified.

2. In an apparatus for automatically adjusting theammunition-trayandtheconveyer of ordnance to the loading-line,the combination of a swingle secured to the carriage, and a tooth secured to the cradle and engaging a notch of the swingle, which latter has arms projecting from both sides concentrically to the axis of the trnnnions, so that an angular change of the swingle takes place only during engagement of the tooth with the notch, while when the tooth leaves the notch it glides on and by one or the other of the arms, which arms inr "to a conveyer guided concentricallyigaihe ctrunnions, so as to bring the 'conreyer into the combination of a swingle se-V the loading-line, substantially as specified.' "S

4. In an apparatus for automatically adjusting the ammunition-tray and the conveyer ot' ordnance, the combination of a swipgle secured to the carriage, intermediate mechanism for transferring the angular motion of the cradle (respectively of swingle, and mechanism for transmittingthe angular motion of the swingle to a cam projecting into the path of a stop of the an munitionhoist, whereby the motion of the elethe gun) to this v vator is limited to correspond with the elcvation of the gnn, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOIIANNES KRONE.

W itnesses:

WILLIAM :Essssyvms, EMIL liomrn. 

